THE vast and varied heritage of the Yorkshire region has been given a new champion.

Maddy Jago has been appointed as the regional director for Yorkshire of English Heritage, the Government's lead body for the historic environment.

In her role, she will be in charge of protecting some of the region's finest historical assets.

Ms Jago was one of the leading figures in the campaign to get the New Forest designated as a National Park and became its director of policy. For six years of her early career, Maddy lived and worked in East Yorkshire, travelling the whole county to give farm conservation advice.

She said: "It's wonderful to be back in the region where I first got inspired by the historic environment. The quality of Yorkshire's heritage is exceptional and people really appreciate the valuable contribution it makes economically and socially to the region. I want to make sure that the historic environment continues to play a part in helping to improve everybody's quality of life."

Ms Jago studied agricultural and environmental science at Newcastle University, followed by 20 years in the voluntary and public sectors, involved in land management and conservation.